Causes of Atopic Dermatitis

AD is not contagious. People with AD cannot “give” it to someone else.

AD inflammation results from too many reactive inflammatory cells in the skin. Research is seeking the reason why these cells over-react. Patients with AD (asthma or hay fever) are born with these over-reactive cells. When something triggers them, they don’t turn off as they should. We try to control AD by controlling the trigger factors that “turn on” inflamed skin, or by “damping the flames” with anti-inflammatory therapies.